sepia

/ˈsiːpɪə/

noun

1.

a dark reddish-brown pigment obtained from the inky secretion of the cuttlefish

2.

any cuttlefish of the genus Sepia

3.

a brownish tone imparted to a photograph, esp an early one such as a calotype. It can be produced by first bleaching a print (after fixing) and then immersing it for a short time in a solution of sodium sulphide or of alkaline thiourea

4.

a brownish-grey to dark yellowish-brown colour

5.

a drawing or photograph in sepia

adjective

6.

of the colour sepia or done in sepia: a sepia print

Word Origin

C16: from Latin: a cuttlefish, from Greek; related to Greek sēpein to make rotten

"rich brown pigment," 1821, from Italian seppia "cuttlefish" (borrowed with that meaning in English by 1560s), from Latin sepia "cuttlefish," from Greek sepia "cuttlefish," related to sepein "to make rotten" (cf. sepsis). The color was that of brown paint or ink prepared from the fluid secretions of the cuttlefish. Meaning "a sepia drawing" is recorded from 1863.